Thin films of semiconductors are useful for many technological applications. In particular, semiconductors consisting of a cation with valence II and an anion of valence VI, which are often referred to as II-VI compounds, have been shown to be useful as the active materials in transistors and photovoltaic devices. These semiconductors were initially produced by vacuum techniques such as evaporation or sputtering. As the art progressed, it was discovered that these materials could be grown directly from a precursor solution. This process was termed chemical bath deposition (CBD).
The properties of the semiconductors produced by CBD are highly dependent upon the bath composition and temperature, the substrates upon which the films are grown, and any post-treatments applied to the films. Reducing variability is important for producing commercially viable devices. Therefore, it would be desirable to discover methods that improve the properties of chemically deposited films.